Report: LeBron James to Lakers still a 'long shot'

The LeBron James-to-Los Angeles extravaganza will once again take center stage this weekend as he and his Cleveland Cavaliers are in town to face the Clippers and Lakers this weekend.

James posted on his instagram, already enjoying the time he’s having in his L.A. home. But once again, the fact that he upgraded his Brentwood digs shouldn’t be taken as a sign that he’s going to sign with the Lakers. In fact, heading into the weekend, that possibility is still an outside one.

League sources believe it’s “still a long shot” James chooses the Lakers this summer, but that’s mostly because he’s determined to stay focused on winning a title with the Cavaliers this season.

“If someone is pretending they know what LeBron is thinking, they’re guessing,” one source close to the situation says. “How could anyone know when he doesn’t even know?”

The Lakers have been on the rise in 2018, going 18-11 in the new year. Still, two months of good basketball does not a culture make. Even if the future looks bright right now, if LeBron James decided that it was time to go to Los Angeles, they wouldn’t even think about it.

Cleveland’s trade with the Lakers opened the door for the Lakers to get in the mix. It wasn’t that it wasn’t something Altman thought about, but something that he didn’t want to hamstring him from making the right deal. It was a move to put their chips in to keep LeBron in Cleveland, not a move to keep him away from the Lakers.